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Understanding Sanitation Preferences: An Exploratory Study in the Sirohi District of Rajasthan
Get PDFOf all the countries in the world, India has the highest number of people practicing open defecation, causing adverse health outcomes from the unconfined spread of faecal matter. The Government of India is ambitiously aiming to end this practice through the construction of 12 million toilets by 2019, but historically, many toilets across India have gone unused. This study focused on understanding: (1) the reasons why people continue to openly defecate despite having toilets and (2) the requirements of a toilet that rural households would be willing to use. Along with 36 observations of household toilets, semi-structured group (n=8) and individual interviews (n=40) were conducted with community members, government officials, and NGO workers in a tribal and water-scarce area of Rajasthan, India where the government had built toilets that were mostly being unused. Through analysis of descriptive statistics and common themes raised through interviews, findings showed that these government toilets were often poorly constructed and inconvenient to use. Participants expressed the desire for an odor-free latrine that required little water, was large enough to comfortably sit in, and wouldn’t fill up quickly. At the same time, misconceptions regarding latrine usage also persisted. There thus exists a need for an affordable toilet design addressing these specifications, along with educational awareness campaigns to correct these misconceptions
Women of Leh Town, Ladakh: An Overview of Perceptions of Health, Health-Seeking Behaviors, and Access to Health Care
Get PDFThe following study seeks to investigate access to health care services and perceptions of health care among women residing in traditional farming communities around the Ladakh region, and to analyze perspectives on health, health-seeking behavior, and access to health care. This project was prompted by the fact that health care in this region is understudied. This study also focuses on marginalized communities including local women and immigrant women. Methods used for the collection of data were qualitative interviews conducted with 24 women, as well as an amchi worker, doctors, and informal and formal conversations with people from different nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs). Interview questions consisted of open-ended questions, which concerned perceptions of health, health-seeking behaviors, and access to health care. This study seeks to contribute to literature regarding health care in Ladakh by analyzing accessibility of both health care and awareness of the best practices in order to stay healthy. A limitation of the study is the sample size is small and due to seasonal safety restraints, interviews could not be conducted with a more remote population that may have little to no access to health care. Also, note that this fieldwork project cannot be used to generalize the entire Leh district or even the specific communities studied
International Student Orientation: Engagment Practices at Johnson and Wales University
Get PDFJohnson and Wales University (JWU) is a four-year private institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. This project is a course-linked capstone that will employ qualitative research techniques to evaluate international student orientation processes. This capstone will connect theory, concepts, and applications from my coursework completed at the SIT Graduate Institute such as foundations, youth programming, international education design and delivery, design concepts and evaluation. The purpose of this project is to design an international student orientation for the fall 2017 to support smooth integration into the campus community and foster student engagement practices.
This proposal will include a customized international student orientation program, evaluation and assessment, health and safety plan, staffing and logistics plan, a marketing and recruitment plan, and a budget. One key feature of the orientation includes a mandatory workshop on cultural adaptation to help students acclimate to the campus culture and academics at JWU. Orientation programs at local institutions were reviewed. Specifically, staff from JWU were interviewed to learn more about what they find most important in designing international orientation programs. Evaluation data from prior orientation programs was also analyzed.
Engaging international students is critical in designing and implementing international student orientations. An extensive review of literature on international student orientation and student engagement practices was done utilizing library databases and international education scholarly resources. What made this research possible is my practicum at JWU International Student Services Office (ISSO). The topic of student engagement and international orientation became an interest because of my work in co-advising the Global Citizen program. This is a student run program that provides leadership and mentor opportunities for students throughout the school year
Women, Peace, and Security in Sudan.The Taskforce Achievements in the National Dialogue
No full textGender equality and women\u27s empowerment are both essential elements to peace and stability. These two elements are the core of the human rights understanding particularly women rights, as well as they are the key towards the effectiveness of peace sustainability. If war breaks out, the risk of violence in society, particularly against women, will greatly increase, and the chances of repeated conflict relapses will escalate. Women have frequently played a critical role in peacemaking processes; this is because women are often anxious to respond to their individual needs as the most affected population during a time of conflict. In certain context women have also contributed to creating war, people accuse women of inciting anger among their communities because women are often considered the main target for community indignation. In order to overcome these conflicting issues, it is vital to recognize women\u27s significant contributions to both war and peace-building. In particular, it is important to acknowledge the need for women participation with the policy-makers involved in peace negotiations and stability processes. In this capstone paper, I review the literature on women\u27s inclusion. I synthesize this information with the effective contributions of women in peace negotiations, specifically in Sudan, to conceptualize women inclusion achievements in peace and stability. I explore the necessity of garnering support from international organizations for women to play an impactful role in peacebuilding. I also explore the challenging political atmosphere internationally and how it might affect women’s achievements. Based on this review, I was able to document the impacts and the challenges that Sudanese women faced in the Sudan National Dialogue
Surveying the Distributions of Melaleuca quinquenervia, Psidium cattleianum, and Litsea glutinosa at Analalava Special Reserve
Get PDFThis study surveyed the distributions of three invasive plant species, Melaleuca quinquenervia, Psidium cattleianum, and Litsea glutinosa at the Analalava Special Reserve in Mahavelona, Madagascar. Analalava is a 229-hectare degraded patch of low-elevation humid forest on the northeast coast of Madagascar, and one of the last forest fragments remaining in the region. It is a haven for biodiversity, containing 343 recorded species of plants, 12 of which are locally endemic. Invasive species are considered the second-most significant threat to biodiversity, both worldwide and specifically at Analalava. Based on a systematic transect survey of these three targeted invasive species, their distributions appear to correlate mainly with open, degraded, swampy, and edge habitats. With the partial exception of L. glutinosa, these plants were not found in the closed-canopy forest interior, and when present, they were usually classified as a “low” level of invasion. Due to Analalava’s protected status and ongoing reforestation efforts, the area of degraded forest is not likely to increase, which should limit the amount of preferred habitat for these invasive species. Suggestions for management of each of the three species involve an integrated approach, incorporating chemical control for M. quinquenervia and cultural control for P. cattleianum and L. glutinosa. Although invasive species do present a significant risk to biodiversity at Analalava, the populations of the three target species in this study are not widespread throughout the reserve. They can be managed, or at the very least monitored, to achieve the short-term objective of containment and control
Discourses of Psychiatry and Culture: The Interface Between Western and Traditional Medicine in the Treatment of Mental Illness
Get PDFMental illness is a burden of disease that, in many countries, is neglected; South Africa is no exception. There are many reasons for this, including but not limited to a lack of specialized mental health personnel in primary care settings, a budget that favors South Africa’s communicable disease epidemic, and a continued stigma around mental illness. Whenever discussing the healthcare system in South Africa, however, it is important to note another parallel system of care, one with little to no budget or regulation: that of traditional healing. It is estimated that over 70% of South Africans have at some point consulted a traditional healer, and, particularly in rural areas, traditional healers outnumber doctors 10:1. Traditional healers treat a wide range of illnesses, mental illness included.
Therefore, through this project, I aimed to gain a greater understanding of traditional healers’ conceptualizations of mental illness and investigate how biomedical practitioners understand and view this parallel healthcare system, in the hopes of obtaining some insight on the possibilities for the two fields to collaborate. To investigate these ideas, I utilized semi-structured interviews of both traditional healers and biomedical practitioners, and also presented traditional healers with case vignettes of particular mental illnesses for more specific and comparable responses using the Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI).
The results of this project showed that traditional healers do have an understanding of mental illness, but tend to classify psychotic disorders as being more exemplary of mental illness than non-psychotic disorders, which were more commonly understood to be ‘stress’. It also showed that there appear to be certain spiritual or culture-bound psychological illnesses that traditional healers are far better equipped to treat than Western practitioners, a fact which the Western practitioners understood and accepted. While both groups seemed willing to collaborate with each other and realized that doing so would be beneficial for many of their patients, they also acknowledged that there were currently very few avenues for this to occur in the context of mental health
Investigating geothermally-sourced H2S pollution in the Reykjavík area: a case study of early March 2017.
No full textAs geothermal energy becomes more widely implemented globally, it is critical to have an accurate assessment of the costs and benefits this technology may pose in order to plan, prevent, and mitigate pollution. Meteorological data sets from the Icelandic Met Office were analyzed in conjunction with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels in the Reykjavík area as a case study in the meteorological conditions leading to elevated H2S levels (\u3e50 μg m-3) on March 1-3, 2017. Primary variables of interest were wind speed and direction, temperature, atmospheric stability, and humidity. Climate change is predicted to weaken the Gulf Stream, influencing all of the aforementioned meteorological factors and potentially affecting the frequency of these high concentration events in Iceland. It was found that peaks are most likely to occur in periods with cold (mean: -0.1 °C, median: - 1.2 °C), low velocity (mean: 2.7m/s), easterly winds (mean: 95°), while humidity did not play a significant role. The results of this initial analysis informed the subsequent investigation of the meteorological time series of H2S levels from 2008-April 2017, which supported the previous findings regarding meteorological conditions. The primary goal was to identify similar peak events and search for changes in the frequency of H2S peaks over the past decade. It appears that the introduction of H2S sequestering technology has had a positive effect on reducing the frequency of high H2S events in the Reykjavík area, even when controlling for meteorological effects
Where Ethnography Breaks Down: The Ethics, Miscommunications, and Failures of My Independent Study Project
Get PDFThis paper will communicate a thick description and self-reflective critique of the research methods I used while conducting short-term ethnographic fieldwork at an NGO (non-governmental organization) in Rabat, Morocco. The research initially sought to answer the following question: How does the culture of a Moroccan NGO interact with the culture of its target client populations, and how does this impact the power dynamics of the NGO’s services? However, the ethical dilemmas of the research caused the question to shift to the following: What went wrong over the course of this short-term ethnography, and why? This paper will address my initial research plan and then problematize my methods in an analytical breakdown of the reasons for their failure. It will touch upon time constraints, communication confusions, and a lack of solid field relationships as the main limitations of my methods. Ultimately, this paper provides a self-reflective critical analysis of my problematic implementation of ethnographic methods in a short-term setting at the foundation in Rabat, Morocco and then seeks to locate these critiques within a discussion ethnographic ethics. Finally, it will provide alternative approaches as a guideline for future Students in International Training (SIT) students who want to conduct short-term ethnography for their own independent study project (ISP)
The Tribulations of Moroccan Child Laborers: A Forced Existence and Loss of Innocence
Get PDFThe principal focus of this research paper is to analyze the prevalence and status of child laborin the Kingdom of Morocco and reflectupon the compounding conditions perpetuatingitsuse in the labor market, especially pertaining to the domestic sphere.Despite several regulationsoutlawing its practice, the use of child labor is common across many industries but working conditionsfound in the domestic sectors are particularly severe. Consequently,the primary subjects of this study are concentratedaroundchildrenemployed within the household as maids known as “petite bonne” or little maids[1]. Many of these child maidssuffer physical, verbal, sexual andpsychological abuses by their employers. Additionally, they are sometimes forced to work long hours and are paid far less than the standard minimum wage.Despite efforts by the government and others to discontinuethe practice through legislation and education campaigns, child labor remains a significant issue withinthe entirety of the Moroccan labor market with thousands of minors working illegally[1], many suffering under unjust conditions and treatment. Leaving aside these existing human rights violations, the exploitation of these childrencomes at a great expense to Moroccan society depriving thenextgeneration opportunities for success and a better quality of life through venues like education.My thesis posits present-daychild labor practices are a necessary evil stemming from the monetary needs of lower-income families as they struggle to stay above the poverty line. To explore this issue further I’ve reviewedprevious literature and government legislation on the subject. I also contacted and visited NGOs working within the field and met with experts on child labor. Lastly, I interviewed previously employed domestic maids to hear theirstories and attitudes.From these sources I concluded that the use of child labor hasbeen substantiallyreduced in recent yearsdue to efforts by local, international, and government associations.However, because of income inequalities in rural areas, deeply rooted Moroccan social norms,weak implementation of regulations, insufficient funding, misappropriation of funds, and a lack of coordination between government departments and partners,child labor in Morocco remains a significant problem and willpersistas a social malady unless there is a moreintegrated effortat the institutional and grassroots level. Furtheraidand proper allocation of fundsto fill in the gaps in infrastructure and education are crucial measuresto have a moreeffectiveimpact in eliminating child labor permanently.
[1]Human Rights Watch, Lonely Servitude: Child Domestic Labor in Morocco,November 15, 2012. Available at https://www.hrw.org/report/2012/11/15/lonely-servitude/child-domestic-labor-morocco#page
[2] UNICEF, Situation of Children and Women in Morocco, September 201
The Roles of Activism and Citizen Science in the Area Covered by the East Gippsland Regional Forest Agreement
Get PDFFor this Independent Study Project, I have examined the roles of activism and citizen science under the East Gippsland Regional Forestry Act. I conducted the study in the hopes of understanding better how activists have contributed to the overall conservation of the forests of East Gippsland. As the government has recently extended the twenty year agreement for another year, I wanted to determine if the real stakeholders of the conservation movement were taken into account. I sought the perspectives of people involved in the either the administration, implementation or opposition to the RFA. This ended up being eight people in and around the East Gippsland area. I interviewed them to gage their perspectives on activism and the RFA. I conducted these interviews either over the phone or face to face on my weeklong journey out to the East Gippsland. I made sure to respect the wishes anyone who wished to be kept anonymous. While out in Orbost I took part in a surveying camp wherein I conducted a survey of a logging coup looking for traces of threatened animals. I also observed the group as a whole as part of participant observation.
My results showed that there was definitely a large role for activists in the conservation of the forests, yet some interviewees disputed how necessary or important that role really is. Through my participant observation, I saw firsthand the important and thorough work that environmental organizations have done in the conservation of forests. These findings may be used to encourage activism in these communities or to call for a change in the policy that makes it so the activists are the forest’s only line of defense against destruction